Feed-water heater



L. O. GARRAWAY FEED WATER HEATER Jan. 15, 1929.

Filed Feb. 14, 1925 3 She8t-S*$heet m W m w M m a 3 r a G. 0 & M

Jan. 15, 1929. 1,698,787

L. O. GARRAWAY FEED WATER HEATER Filed. Feb. 14, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Jan. 15, 1929. 1,698,787 L. O. GARRAWAY FEED WATER HEATER Filed Fb. 14,1925 a Sheets-Sheet 3 9 m o I if I L- O. Ga'rraM ay Patented Jan. 15,1929.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEE 0. GARRAWAY, O F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO JAMESR. MEYERS, 0F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

FEED-WATER HEATER.

Application filed February This invention relates to feed water heatersand has special reference to means for preheating the water fed tolocomotive boilers. One object of the invention is to provide a simpleand compact apparatus whereby the heating of the water will be initiatedat the cab and will continue through practically the entire passage ofthe feed water from the point where it is received below the cab to theintake port of the locomotive boiler. The invention seeks to utilize theheat of the smoke box of the locomotive'and also to utilize the exhauststeam in such a manner that, when the water is delivered into the boilerspace of the locomotive, it will be highly heated and consequently theformation .of steam will be expedited thereby effecting an economy inthe use of fuel. The invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and will be hereinafter first fully described and then moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly broken away, of oneside of a conventional locomotive having my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite side of the locomotive;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the heater which is mounted in. the smoke boxof the locomotive;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section on the line 66 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

The locomotive is indicated as an entiretyv by the reference numeral 1and may be ofany -well-known or preferred type. In carrying out myinvention, I mount an oil separator 2 upon the cylinder saddle,indicated at 3, and this oil separator is connected to the exhaust portsof the cylinder saddle so that the exhaust steam and the oil carriedtherewith will be caused to circulate through the separator, the oilbeing retained in the separator and the steam passing upwardly therefromthrough a pipe 4 into a chamber 5 which is provided within the tank 14,

14, 1925. Serial No. 9,202.

provided upon the locomotive preferably adjacent the smoke stack,indicated at 6. The oil separator may be of any preferred form and isillustrated as comprising perforated plates 7 covered with textilefabric 8 having oil-absorbing qualities, these separator plates orfilters being removably supported within the shell oft-he oil separator.As stated, the exhaust steam will rise through the pipe 4, which may bedisposed at either side of the locomotive, and is delivered thereby intothe chamber 5. Preferably, a combined globe and check valve, indicatedconventionally at 9, is fitted in the pipe 4 at its junction with thechamber 5 whereby the flow of the exhaust steam may be shut off orregulated so that the steam admitted to the chamber will be suflicientto flow back to the condensation tank and properly perform itspreheating work. The chamber 5 is provided at its bot-- tom with anoutlet 10 leading into a conduit 11 which extends longitudinally of thelocomotive under the lagging, indicated at 12, to a point in front ofthe cab where it is carried downwardly, as indicated at 13, and thencarried rearwardly under the cab to discharge into a heating andcondensation tank 14. The inlet 15 to this tank, which constitutes theterminal of the conduit 11 is disposed at one side of the tank andenters top of the same, as shown most clearly in Fig. 7. A perforatedhorizontal partition 16 is as shown clearly in Figs. 7 and 8, and thewalls of the conduit are so arranged that one wall terminates at saidpartition while the opposite wall continues as a wall of the tank, amplespace for the accumulation of the steamand the condensation of the samebeing thereby provided within the tank below the partition. The mainsupply tank 17 is carried by the locomotive tender in the usual mannerand is connected through a hose 18 with the rear wall of the tank 14 soas to discharge into the tank through a port 19 located at the partition16. Connected with the front of the tank 14 is a pump 20, the dischargeport of which is connected directly with a pipe 21 which is carried toand into the conduit 11, as shown at 22, and then extends along andwithin said conduit to the smoke box of the locomotive, a check valve 23being provided in the pipe so that the through the water may flow towardthe smoke box but cannot fiow rearwardly therefrom. The pump 20 is, ofcourse, driven by live steam which is admitted thereto through a pipe 2%connected with the steam space of the 1003- heated by the shell ofthelocomotive boiler,

it being noted that the conduit 11 and duct 21 have a bottom common toboth elements. The front end of the pipe or passage 21 is coupleddirectly into the receiving arm 27 of the heat-- er 28 which is securedwithin the smoke box of the locomotive. As shown most clearly in Fig.4., this heater consists of a shell having parallel portions 29connected by arcuate ends or elbows 30 whereby a tortuous path forthewater is provided within the smoke box, and, in order that the water maybe exposed to the heat of the gases and smoke in the smoke box throughthe entire period of its circulation through the heater shell,open-ended nipples or tubes 81 are provided in staggered relationthroughout the area or extent of the heater, and these nipples, as shownclearly in Fig. 5, may be formed integral with the top and bottom wallsof the heater shell. The outlet arm 32 of the heater 28 is coupled tothe pipe 33 which extends to and communicates directly with the usualwater intake port of the locomotive boiler, as indicated conventionallyin Fig. 1.

The heating and condensation tank 14 is preferably provided with awash-out and drain plug 35 in its bottom for an obvious purpose, and asafety valve 36, of any approved form, is provided on the chamber 5 torelieve possible excessive pressure therein.

The exhaust steam from the pump 20 passes into a pipe or conduit 37which leads over the locomotive boiler just in front of the cab andconnects with the xhaust pipes of the air pumps 38, 39 on the left sideof the locomotive.

The exhaust from the two air pumps and the pump 20 is carried into anoil separator l0, and a pipe 4-1 is shown leading from said oilseparator over the boiler into the conduit 11, although it may becarried into the reservoir 5 or into the tank 1 1.

By referring to Figs. 7 and 8, it will be noted that the port 19 isdefined by an upstanding branch of an elbow or valve casing 42 locatedwithin the condensation tank 1st and in communication with the pipe orhose 18, a valve seat 43 being formed in said casing around the inlet ofthe same. A disk valve 44 is provided to engage said seat and the stem45 of the valve is rotatably fitted in the casing and formed with acoarse thread or spiral rib 46 engaging a spiral groove 47 in the casingwhereby as the stem rotates or rocks endwise movement will be impartedthereto and the valve consequently shifted to and from the seat. Theinner end of the stem carries a crank or lever 48 upon which is secureda float 19. 'The level of water in the tank will thus be keptsubstantially constant, the float dropping and unseating the valve asthe water is used and moving upward to seat the valve and cut off theflow as the level of thewater again rises.

In practice, if the locomotive is not running but has been fired so thatsteam is generating and the locomotive is held ready for service, thepressure of the steam in the boiler will hold back the feed water in thepipe 33 so that the water will be heating in the heater 28 under theinfluence of the smoke and products of combustion which are flowingthrough the smoke box. When the. throttle valve is opened so as to admitsteam to the cylinders, the exhaust steam will rise through the pipe 4.and accumulate in the chamber 5 and the heating system tillthe pressureopens the safety valve 36 to permit escape of the excess, or the pump 20is started to effect circulation of the feed water and replenish thesupply in the boiler. lVhen exhaust steam is rising from the cylinders,the check valve 9 will open and the exhaust from the cylinders will flowinto the heating system. When the throttle is closed, the valve 9instantly seats so that the steam will be held in the system. It isfrequently the case that, when an engine is being held ready forservice, steam is exhausting froin the several pumps and, heretofore,this exhaust has been permitted to waste but with the present ap paratusthis exhaust steam is trapped and held in the heating system. When thevalve 25 is opened and the pump 20 thereby caused to operate, feed waterwill then flow from the tank 17 into the tank 14., being delivered insaid tank through the port 19 above the partition 16. The water will, ofcourse, percolate through the perforations of the said partition andwill enter the lower compartment of the tank 14 in the form of a spray,mingling with the exhaust steam and condensate delivered through theinlet '15 and absorbing heat therefrom. The steam, of course, willcondense and this water of condensation as well as the heated feed waterwill be forced by the pump 20 through the pipe or passage 21 to theheater 28, and inasmuch as nearly the en tire extent of the said pipe orpassage 21 is housed within the conduit 11, the water flowingtherethrough will be raised in temperature through the action of theexhaust steam in the conduit and the heat rising from the locomotiveshell. From the passage 21, the waterwill flow back and forth along theinterior of the heater 28 and will be thereby caused to fiowi, aroundthe several nipples 31 through: which, the smoke 1 and: other heated:

gases iii-the smoke-box arecirculating;v The water w-ill, of,oour.se.,-beveryhighly heated as a result of receivingsteam-in the tank 14, itsflow through-the-heat-ing conduit 11, andits circulation in.thesmokeboxcandwill be delivered through the pipex33 and the boiler intakeport at such a temperature that steam is formed very rapidly withoutintense firing.

It is to be noted that exhaust steam from the water pump and both airpumps, as well as from the engine cylinders, is delivered into theheating system which includes the chamber 5, relatively wide shallowconduit 11, tank lt and heater 28. WVhen the engine is not running, theexhaust from the pumps is sufficient to maintain the pressure in thesystem and heat the feed water, the check valve 9 preventing flow ofexhaust steam to the idle engines. When the throttle is opened and theengine is working, the demand upon the boiler is increased and the pumpswill not supply sufficient exhaust steam to maintain the pressure andpreheat the feed water to the desired degree but the exhaust from theengines will then flow to the chamber 5 and back up in the heatingsystem to supply the deficiency, so that, under all conditions, theexhaust steam in the heating system and the condensation that occurstherein will preheat the feed water and effect a very appreciable savingof fuel.

The chamber 5, resting directly on the 10- comotive smoke box and beingimmediately adjacent the stack, is exposed to the heat radiating fromthe smoke box and the stack, and the wide shallow conduit is exposed tothe heat from the boiler shell so that, notwithstanding exposure of thepipe 4 and the chamber 5 to the air, condensation of steam trapped inthe chamber is minimized. Any condensate that does form will be hotwater and will drain at once into the conduit to flow to the initialheater or tank 14 in heat exchange relation to the pipe 21, but, owingto the high temperature of the boiler shell to which the conduit isexposed, the condensate entering the tank 14 will be highly heated andwill effect an initial heating of the feed water in the tank.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a verycompact, simple and efiicient means whereby water fed to a locomotiveboiler will be heated before it enters the boiler so that theconsumption of fuel needed to eventually convert the water into steamwill be minimized.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In a feed water-heating system for locomotives, a relatively wideshallow conduit having a portion extending longitudinally of and indirect contact with the locomotive boiler; shell. under thelaggingthereof, means for deliveringexhaust steamafromthe loco.-

motive cylinders into the front end of said' conduit, a shallowwater-conveying ducthoused within and extending longitudinally throughsaid conduit, the bottomof the con: duit forming the bottom of the ductand bearing upon the locomotive shell, a tank supported below thelocomotive cab andhaving the rear end of the conduit secured therein,means for delivering feed water into the tank, means for delivering feedwater from the tank into said duct, and means for conveying the feedwater from the duct into the locomotive boiler.

2. A feed water-heating system for locomotives comprising a chamber forexhaust steam resting on the locomotive boiler shell adjacent the smokestack, a pipe leading from the exhaust ports of the engine cylindersinto said chamber, a heating and condensing tank supported under thelocomotive cab, a conduit extendin from said chamber longitudinally ofthe boiler in contact with the boiler shell and having a portion beneaththe acket and lagging thereof and leading exhaust steam and condensatefrom said chamber into the heating and condensing tank, and a waterdischarge duct carrying water from the heating and condensing tankthrough said conduit to be delivered into the locomotive boiler, saidduct being in contact with the boiler shell.

3. A feed water-heating system for locomotives including a chamberreceiving exhaust steam from the locomotive engine, a heating andcondensation tank at the rear of the locomotive boiler, a relativelywide shallow conduit extending longitudinally of the boiler from saidchamber to the tank and in direct contact with the boiler shell, and awater pipe extending from the tank through the conduit to the boiler,the bottom of the tank and the bottom of the conduit being in common.

4. In a locomotive structure, the combination of a chamber provided witha safety valve, means for conducting exhaust steam from the locomotivecylinders to said chamber, a check valve in said conduct-ing means, aheater, a water supply pipe leading thereto, a float valve controllingthe inflow of water through said pipe to the heater to maintain apredetermined level therein, a conduit'arranged to conduct steam fromsaid chamber to the space above said water level, a pipe having aportion disposed in said conduit, said pipe being arranged to conductwater from said heater to the boiler in heat exchange relation throughsaid portion with the exhaust steam in said conduit, and means forconducting exhaust steam from a second source to said conduit at a pointintermediate said chamber and said heater.

5. In a locomotive structure, the combination of a chamber resting onthe smoke box of the locomotive, means for conducting exhaust steam fromthe locomotive cylinders to said chamber, a check valve in saidconducting means, a heater, a water supply pipe leading to the heater,means to maintain a predetermined level in the heater, a conduitarranged to conduct steam from said chamher to the space above saidWater level, and

a pipe having a portion disposed in said con- 10 duit, said pipe beingarranged to conduct Water from said heater to the boiler in heatexchange relation through said portion with the exhaust steam in saidconduit.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LEE 0. GARRAWAY. [L. s.]

